Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-12-31
MlLLl0NAlRES HOMES.
EXTERIOR VIEW OF FAMOUS NOS
HILL, IN SAN FRANCISCO.
The Snowy Hopkins House--The CrockeP
Mahsion--Story of the High Board
Himself--Tbe Chinese I.aundryman.

ward from the water front Passing Fort
/ Point, the green shores or Marin county
stretch out to the southwark on the left
until they are merged into the glistening
( church spires and buuSe tops of Berkeley
and Oakland. To the right lies San Fran
cisco, and as the eye glauces over the well
| Kept walks, gardens and barrack houses
ul the military reservation they rest upon
! u group of handsome residences percheti
/ on the top OF the highest hills In the
f, distance they look not lAillike palaces seen
ON the banks of continental waters. The
/ structures are halt dozen or more in
/ number and three Of them are the homes
| of the California railroad millionaires-
| Stanford, Croclcr and Hopkins. The most
showy of the trio is the Hopkins house. 1t
! is built after the style of an English castle,
1 with turrcts rising skyward from all cor
| ners, and a center tower from which a
magnificent view OF the surrounding coun-
/ try is obtained
| As one rides up California street the
/ first house passed is that Of United States
/ Senator Leland stanford, president Of the
I great Southern Pacific railroad system.
/ EXteTiorly it is an unpretentious build
| ing, at the same time having an air Of
/ solid refiuementTabo it, In other words,
1 il looks the home of n gentleman.
| Adjoining il on the west and perched
on the top Of the Hill is the Hopkins
structure. mention of which has been
{ made. Unlike tn. Stanford residence
| however. the Hopkins house is pretentious
to fault, and in the gingerbread and
flaCree work the term "sboddy'' is plainly
marked. An immense coiored granite
wall surrounds it,
A block distant brings one to the
Crockcr mansion. on the corner of Cali
! fornia and Taylor streets. The first thing
that attracts attention in looking at the
Crocker house is high board fence that
rears itself To the air on the Sacramento
street side. IL is not altogether an I'M
slightly object. as the skillful hands Of a
gardner have trained vines and climbing
flowers about il; but even these do not
climb high enough to hide the painted
boards. The main interest in an exterior
view of the Croker mansion rests in that
fence. IL IS famous fence and, in con-
sequence, has history. Any bright sun
shiny day You climb the hill you will find
from three to n dozen persons standing
around gazing at the fence and listening
to its history, IL is the biggest part of
san Francisco guides stock in trade and
he never tires OF telling it. THAT fence you
see" narrates the guide, was put up
there coz the man as owns the lot wouldn't
sell out so as Cruckcr could have the hull
lot"
Relieved of its vcrbiace the story OF the
fence is that something like ten Years ago,
when CrOckcr built his home on the hill,
he owned all but lot 2Jxl00 feet in size,
with n frontage on Sacramento street.
This little strip of ground was the prop
Grty of one NuuG an undertaken, who
owned and occupied a small dwelling
which WAS located Oh ii. Prior to build
ing an agent of the millionaire negotiated
for the property in a quiet manner and
got n price of 80, COO on il He did not
close the bargain, preferring first TO see
his principal. Pending this. Yung in
some In2hner became aware that the
property was to be bought for Crocker,
and when the agent returned TO close the
bargain he advanced its price to Sc, 900.
This necessitated the agents making a
second trip 10 his principal. and after
some discussion Crocker, who wanted the
whole block. decided to pay the price
rather than spoil the -rp.arnpee -ef hi.
property, and told his agent to purchase
at $4,000 With n check for that amount
the agent sought Iung, only to find that
property on Sacramento street had again
advanced, and that Yung's 2jxl0O foot
lot and worthless building were quoted
at $4,000 or just about s. 600 more than
they Were worth. Again was Crocker con-
suited, and again did he tell his agent to
accete to the under,aker's demands. The
latter, however. had not reached the top
price yet. and when check for 5000
was offered him for the property he coolly
informed the miilionaire's representative
that he must have Sl2 900 for the prop
erty or lie would hot sell.
This was too much even for Crockcr
II was not So much the money he cared
for as il was the outrageous demands of
the undertaken. The millionaire lost all
desire TO own the lot and went on build
ing his palace and devising means to
teach Iung a lesson. AT last he hit upon
plan. He would fence his place in so
high and tight that no ray of sunshine
could reach the house. The undertaken
and his family watched the building of
the palace from their back windows and
argued that the millionaire would have
TO come TO time. They decided that the
next time the agent came around the
price would be $4,000. The agent never
carpenters put in an appearance. Post
holes Of great depth and large caliber
were sunk in the ground. Soon great
poles that would put to blush the tallest
telephone sticks were planted, and then il
dawned upon the Iungs that they were to
be fenced in, They protested and pleaded in
vain. They offered the property at $4,000,
then $4,000, and then finally offered to
give it To Croker for the old original
So, ZOO. But the millionaire would have
none Of il. He wanted to fence in his
yard, and as the structure grew under
the hammer his attachment for il grew,
ana tcday the millionaire is said TO ad-
mire it mere than any portion of his
handsome place.
The disgruntlcd body embalmer, after
finding he had overreached himself, de-
vised all sorts Of means to annoy his mil
lionaire neiGhbOr. He and his family
stuck il ont i'll the house as long as they
possibly could, but they became sick
finally for the want of sunshine and were
TO move away. They then his
upon, rs they thought, a happy plan Of
getting even. They gave the house rent
free to Il Chinese laundryman, stipulating
only that the PAGAN should rig scaffcld-
ing and stretch his lines SO that the wash
ing Of many families would be visible
from the Windows of the millionaire.
Crocker rebelled at this, and after vainly
10 have the wash house re-
moved the miilionaire's carpenters spliced
the long posts and the fence was built SO
high that save from the front no light
whatever entered the inclOsed wash house.
This move served the purpose, the pagan
gave up his establishment and, rs no one
would rent it, Yung sold it TO a contractor
and it was moved away.-San Francisco
Co. San Diego Union.
The Consequences of Neglect.